Aroline Seibert - Teaching with Technology
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Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese
Spanish Basic Language Program
Teaching Philosophy
Language learning is an important and exciting endeavor. I believe that in order to communicate with people from different backgrounds and cultures, language study is crucial. Yet, becoming bi- or even trilingual should also be fun. One of my favorite memories of my first Spanish class is of my Profesora playing the guitar and singing the Captain and Tennille song “Por amor viviremos” horribly off key. This was what grabbed my attention, but what made me a life-long language learner, was being able to use what I had learned in class during my travels abroad. Making friends that I would not have been able to make without knowledge of a second language, helping other people communicate, who had no language in common; these experiences made me love the study of language.
I want my students to also have these experiences with language. That is why I try to make them comfortable in my class so that they will take the risks involved in trying a new language out for size. I also want them to experience the target language in a way that is natural and appropriate for their level. In line with a communicative language teaching approach, I aim to provide my students with as much understandable language as possible, and do not expect them to produce what we have gone over until they are ready. Students should be exposed to authentic materials along with proper guidance so that they do not feel overwhelmed. The classroom should be as close to an immersion experience as possible, since this is the best way to facilitate language acquisition.
Incorporating technology is a natural progression in the language classroom. I use e-mail, on-line groups and my website for out-of-class communication, meanwhile integrating authentic texts from the internet and media as an essential component during class time. I use technology to ease my organization of the class, such as in grade-keeping or preparing presentations. I do not make it the focus, however. The focus should always be on the learner and her needs. Once my students are ready, they should have plenty of opportunity for interaction and negotiation of meaning in the target language both with me and with their classmates. With the aid of technology, students can also have opportunities to interact with native speakers online.
I feel that evaluation of the language learner should be in tune with my teaching methods, and do my best to use the same or similar format that my students have seen on their previous work. I want to provide my students with the opportunity to express themselves both in writing and in speech. Having students record themselves is a fun way for them to see how far they have come with the language. I also include reading and listening components on exams if they were sufficiently present in class work. I expect my students to take the class and their work seriously, even if they are having fun, and want them to leave the class with the ability to communicate their thoughts and wishes in the target language with an understanding of the importance of language learning.
The Pennsylvania State University: Copyright 2008
Last Updated on:
24-Apr-2008 15:14
e-mail: aes284@psu.edu